People who have difficulty moving due to damage to their brain or spinal cord such as from a stroke, sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or who have had an incomplete spinal cord injury (T12 or above). It can sometimes be used with people who have had a head injury. To be effective it is important that the nerve fibres between the spinal cord and the muscle are not damaged.

A minimum prerequisite for ODFS is that the patient must be able to stand and take a few steps with or without a walking aid

The impulses need to travel along the nerves to the muscles.

The most common problem treated by FES is called 'Drop-Foot'. This is the inability to lift the foot and toes when swinging the leg during walking causing the toes to catch or the foot to drag on the ground. 'Drop-foot' is caused by weakness of the muscles that lift the foot and excessive tightness (spasticity) in the muscles of the calf. Stimulation is given to the muscles at the front of the leg. The simplest stimulator is the 'Odstock Dropped Foot Simulator' (ODFS). A switch worn in the shoe triggers the stimulator, an electrical stimulation then reaches the muscles through electrodes stuck to the skin on the side of the leg, just below the knee.

Stimulation may be given as a sort of exercise (Microstim) to strengthen weak muscles or relax tight ones. People who benefit from this usually have some movement of their arm & hand.  This sort of treatment is often used as an adjunct to a physiotherapy programme.  At Neurophysioplus we can offer all types of Functional Electrical Stimulation at competitive rates.